Sailing, Sunny, Sunscreen

One thing I'm thankful for by being in Quebec is that I have wonderful relatives just one province away! I am excited that they will hopefully drop in for a visit and that I will be able to go visit them at some point as well!

The weekend I was there, it was absolutely beautiful weather (probably some of the first nice days of my entire roadtrip.. bad weather seems to follow me around). We went to Lake Erie for the day and relaxed on the sailboat!! After a few hours of sailing, we anchored, made lunch on the bbqs that were on the ship and enjoyed swimming off the side of the boat.

I love sailing. I really know nothing about boats and nothing about how to sail, but I'm thankful there are people that do know and that are willing to have me join them on their sailboats. So if you have a sailboat, let me know and I will join you for a day of sailing!

And there's something magical about water. And just having a day of relaxing on it. But there's also something about sunny days on water and lack of sunscreen. All in all a bad idea. I got quite the burn. And quite the peeling ordeal after.

On rainy days I like to look at these photos and fondly remember just relaxing in the sun on a sailboat in the middle of a lake that is so huge you think you're on the ocean.

Friends, Family, Fun

I have a lot of friends scattered around the world, and as I've mentioned before, I was so blessed on my drive across Canada to visit some of them.

I love friendships that pick up exactly where they left off. You may not talk to the person in between, but you are able to connect as before. And I love seeing my friends in different stages of life.

My friend Tammy moved to Ontario a couple years ago and I was so excited for the chance to visit with her, because since the last time I saw her, her and her husband have two little girls! How wonderful to connect with a long-time friend, connect with and love her kids and get a sneak-peak into her life.

I love seeing the faithfulness of God displayed in the lives of those I love. It is a testimony to me, and I'm sure to many around. And I love seeing how God has been faithful to Tammy and how He has now blessed her with two amazing and precious little ones to care for.

It was a good mix of relaxing, connecting and just enjoying being together.

And now I apologize for the randomness of my posts. I don't really feel like posting my trip in any coherent, orderly fashion, so I will just post random days and hopefully you will enjoy the photos and thoughts. :)

Birthday, Blessing, Beautiful

June 21st is a special day for many reasons. First off, it's the official beginning of summer, also it is the longest day of the year as far as sun exposure goes. But even more importantly, it's my mom's birthday!

So today we shall celebrate life with her! She is an amazing woman that is such an incredible blessing in my life. She is a blessing to her children and grandchildren and to all she meets.


{I absolutely love this picture of my mom and I... I took it as a quick snapshot in the bathroom and then realized the background wasn't good, so we took some in the room.. but I loved the bathroom shot the best. Makes it even more candid! And oh the wonderful lighting that a bathroom offers!}

I'm thankful I have a mother who loves to travel, because we have so much fun traveling together, but also because I know she will come out to visit me a lot once I move!

So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my mom!!

Engaged, Excited, Elated

Today, friends and family will gather at my mom's place to have a party. I love the celebration aspect of parties. Celebration of life and love and God's grace and goodness in our lives.

And what are we celebrating today? My brother's engaged!!!


Lucas and Colleen got engaged right before we left for our trip to Asia and I'm so excited for them!! I have loved getting to know Colleen and am excited to have another sister-in-law! I was blessed to be able to spend time with both of them for a few days earlier this year in Florida and am excited for more memories and fun together!


So Congrats to Lucas and Colleen!! Can't wait for your big day and so excited to celebrate with you!!

Decade, Day, Died

Today marks a decade since my brother passed away suddenly.

I am baffled to think it was 10 years ago that he left this earth, because it honestly feels like it could have been yesterday.

So today I am going to take the day to remember and celebrate his life.

Enjoy the weekend!

Gum, Gross, Gals

This past weekend, I had planned for a cousin day, but was happily surprised to have a double cousin day! I showed up at Des' house only to discover, my other cousin, Joelle was there. The funny thing about this is that Joelle and Des are great friends but they aren't related, but they are both related to me. And we're good friends. That sounds confusing. Probably is. Either way, it was the perfect ingredients for a day of FUN.


You know those people that dance like crazy at the corner of the street and often they look like they're bored out of their minds? Well, in Bellingham there was a woman who looked like she absolutely loved her job and was so into it. I told Des to jump out and run to go dance with her. So she did. And she even got to hold the sign. We took pictures as we drove by. Oh what fun can be had when you just do random things people tell you to do. :)



We also stopped at Krispy Kremes on the way back. Mostly for the hats. Because they're pretty awesome. Except Joelle broke hers.




I hate gum. In fact, it's probably my biggest pet peeve. I hate seeing people chew it, hate hearing people chew or crackle it, hate smelling it on someone's breath, hate the look of it in a wrapper or thrown onto the ground. I hate everything about it. In fact, most of the time, it makes me want to throw up. So why I decided we should go see the gum wall in Seattle I have no idea. But search for it and find it we did.


In Pike Place Market, we found the wall, along with a large group of other folks. It was disgusting. Yet I stared at it in awe. It made me want to throw up, but I took pictures. Even posed in front of it. In fact, if I stare at these pictures for too long, it makes me want to throw up. But I figured I would post them for your enjoyment.


So the next time you are in Seattle, go to the main entrance of the market, go down the ramp, and turn left and voila, there it shall be. Maybe bring a piece of gum to chew and stick onto the wall. {dont' I look so excited to be there in the picture below?}


All in all a very fun day was had. Went for dinner, walked around a lot, and then enjoyed a musical all together. Lots of laughs and great conversation, which happen to be two of my favorite ingredients to add to the making of a fantastic day.

I will miss these ladies dearly. Joelle is heading to Africa and beyond for at least a year and I will be gone. But I treasure our times together and future times when we are all in the same place. I am thankful for an incredible family, that is not just family, but even more deeply bonded with friendship.

Capilano, Cousins, Canucks

Last week, my relatives from Castlegar were in town. My great-uncle Henry passed away before Christmas and they decided to have a memorial for him in Abbotsford since that's where he lived a lot of his life.


I have always loved it when any of them have come to visit. We all connect really well. It's funny because my mom used to babysit her aunts kids, and then they babysit us as kids. I also got to be a flower girl in Deb's wedding so that's really special as well.


We clicked well and had a lot of fun. Went to Capilano Suspension Bridge for the day on the Friday and beat the rain which was nice. Did you know that as a BC resident, if you pay for a day's admission (26 bucks), you get a year's pass? Which is expensive for one visit, but not for the whole year! So I'm excited to go back in the winter because they always do a lot of Christmas lights. And they're opening up a new cliff walk exhibit which also sounds pretty great.


My aunt Carol really hates her picture taken. This was the nicest one I took of us. The rest she refused to co-operate :)


Thankfully Deb and I share the same joy of taking beautiful photos. Or funny ones. With signs.




I love BC. And places like this that are surrounded by woods and it just feels outdoorsy. yeah it's touristy, but that was okay for this day.

And I love my mom as well. Because she rocks. And I love our friendship. :)

The bridge was super scary. Watch out.

Watch out for slippery surfaces. Thankfully I did not fall.

What do you do on suspension bridges?? Run of course!

Strangely enough, everyone slipped by this sign. It wasn't even wet really.

Sadly Deb had the worst fall..

Oops.

Hooray for suspension bridges!! They actually have a really cool exhibit that has little suspension bridges between trees. It's called treetop adventure and it's actually really cool. Great views as well.




My mom tried having a bigger wingspan than the eagle. At least she has a wider wingspan than the goose. Go Mom!




Unsure of what slugs do at slug crossings, but we probably fooled quite a few people into thinking we were giant, colorful slugs.

BEAR HUG!

White Spot before the game! Mmmmm!

All in all, a wonderful time with family and getting to know them in a new way as well. It was good to celebrate Uncle Henry's life with those who came to the memorial. I really appreciated hearing all the stories from his life. Always inspiring and humbling to hear of the amazing legacy people have left before us.

Lettuce, Latest, L'Hiver

Today I arrived back in Canada to SNOW!!! Truth be told, it wasn't snowing in the States, but as soon as I crossed the border, it was snowing. Guess that goes along with the fact that it's probably ten million times more cold here in the winter with our igloos and all.

I love snow. But now when I've just finished a week in intense heat. And then I remember that although I LOVE winter in BC, this is my last winter in BC for some time, so I need to appreciate the fact that it is a little (actually a lot) milder than what I will be experiencing next winter!

Anyway, had a delightful time away. Hope you enjoyed the blog posts while I was gone. Did some scheduled posting to make it seem like I'm an avid blogger.. hope it worked.

Just a shout out to say hi and perhaps soon and very soon I shall have some exciting photos of the latest posted!!

Have you ever eaten at the Cheesecake Factory? They don't just have cheesecake as the title might suggest, but they have the most expansive and varied menu ever. Anyway, their lettuce wraps are AMAZING. Probably my favourite thing on the menu. Every time I have them, I always say the classic "man, i should make these sometime". So to avoid having to cook, I turned to my mom and said "Mom, you should make these sometime for a family dinner."

And WHAM, tonight it happened, a mere few days after the suggestion occurred. And they were awesome. Lettuce wraps and a night with my family (not to mention my absolutely adorable niece and nephew) makes for a delightful evening indeed.

Epcot, Experts, Electrical

I wasn't planning on going to Florida this year. But when my brother texted me and invited me to join him and Colleen in Disneyworld for three days, I couldn't resist. I got good flight deals and figured it was a great opportunity for some good, quality time with family!


My first visit to Florida and I loved it! (and it is only a 3 hour flight from Montreal I might add...) It was nice and hot too. At first we were confused as to how the whole Disneyworld thing worked. Then we discovered that they have four separate parks to go to. Crazy. I like to think of it as a brilliant money making scheme, but perhaps it's also helpful in keeping hoardes of people apart from each other. Needless to say, Disneyworld is MASSIVE. It even has its own highway system.


The first day we got there, we went to Magic Kingdom, which traditionally is more like Disneyland in California. Similar rides with a few different ones. We stayed until closing and went on as many rides and to as many shows as possible!


The Disney castle in Disneyworld is way bigger than the one in Cali! But there weren't too many crowds and lineups were fantastically short. Either than or we're Disney experts.


It's a small world was wonderful as always. Some people hate the ride, but I enjoy all the different cultures and countries it passes through. And I try singing along every time which results in me having that not annoying at all song stuck in my head all day. Delightful. Of course, the entire ride, my brother was just trying to push our boat along faster so we could hit the boats in front of us.


And then there's the turkey legs. Sigh. I have always seen them while at Disneyland and they smell tasty, but look disgusting. And funny. When people are walking by chomping away at a huge chunk of meat. It looks slightly barbaric. But my brother and I figured it would be fun nonetheless. And it was.

And the parades! And the fireworks! And the light shows! All spectacular!

The next day we went to Animal Kingdom which is a mix between awesome rides and amazing decor and a zoo/reserve. They have a safari you can go on where you see real live elephants, rhinos, lions, monkeys, tigers and so forth. Crazy. And the rides are awesome. And when you're walking in the Asia or Africa sections, you feel like you're there in a way. And then you see screaming/crying children being wheeled by and you recall that you are in the happiest place on earth.


Mt. Everest was a pretty awesome rollercoaster. Especially since you didn't know what to expect. But when suddenly you are flying backwards, with no idea of where this ride is going, it is a bit scary. Well, for Colleen it was probably scary (judging by her screams) and I would just sit there giggling uncontrollably. When people scream, I laugh. We'll call it nervous laughter so I don't look like a bad person that laughs at people screaming.


Monkeys!! It was fun to wander around and just see different animals everywhere. Random. But cool. Totally different park than any I'd been to.




And I discovered why rhinos are almost extinct in Africa... it's because Disney took them all to be on their safari ride.


And then we found the Triceretops Ride which we thought was awesome. Lucas was reluctant to come, but we made it seem like so much fun that he ran through the exit gate at the last minute and hopped on the ride. I'm sure he was happy he jumped on (as you can tell by his super excited face in the picture).


That afternoon we went to Epcot, which is a cross between a future type place and international. Some really fun rides and really cool displays of around the world. I enjoyed seeing what the US perceives Canada to be like. And thankfully, they had a sign put up to warn people that I might be crossing the road. Thoughtful.


And of course, it is a must when in a Disney store (or any store with random hats for that matter), to take a photo of you wearing the hats. And thankfully I didn't buy mine because it seems too small for my head.


The Epcot ball, in which you go on this neat ride and see a bunch of stuff. Okay I just made that sound like the lamest ride ever, but it wasn't. It was cool. And then it "broke" down while we were on it and we were stuck in one spot for five minutes.


Oh the streets of Disney. Upon sight of them, my heart leaps for joy because of the childlike wonder and awe that shall accompany the day once that street is walked down. And that sentence didn't make sense. In short, Disneyworld makes me excited.


In an immensely long line for my favorite Toy Story ride, Lucas and Colleen decided to try out being monkeys.


We also decided to do push ups and tricep exercises on the bars while waiting in the line-up. We enjoyed maximizing the usage of our time in line. Just like the woman I saw breastfeeding her child in line while walking. I don't have a problem with breastfeeding in public, but when there is no cover and I can see the entire thing with your child shoved there while you walk through the line to get on a ride, it is a bit strange.


On our last day, we went to Hollywood Studios. Our day was planned out immaculately so that we could see everything. Loved the Beauty and the Beast musical! So well done.




And the Muppets fountain was pretty awesome too. They make me laugh. :)


After a very full day, we went to this Old Town Fair which was quite eventful and interesting. I opted out of the go-karts because it was an uphill climb with a huge sharp drop at the bottom and I knew I would probably feel like I was going to die if I drove alongside my brother.


Downtown Disney was pretty amazing too! It's like an entire town! We went to Disney's Cirque de Soleil, 'La Nooba' and it was awesome! One of the best I've seen for sure.

All in all, a fantastic time in Disneyworld. To conclude though, Disneyland is still my fave. It was great to visit the world... but I like that Disneyland and California Adventure Land are right across from each other and they have everything right there, all walking distance. Although, I wouldn't be opposed to going again of course. ;)

Thankfully jetlag from Florida had put me on a new schedule of going to bed at 10 and waking up at 6. I quite like it. And after three days at home, I headed off to Cali with some friends to go to Disneyland (just to compare). More pics and stories from that to come!